


I Can Feel My Soul Singing as a Bird

by icandrawamoth



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Friendship, Leoji Week 2017, Long-Distance Friendship, M/M, Matchmaker Phichit Chulanont, Matchmaking, Music, Nervousness, Phone Calls & Telephones, Pre-Canon, Skate America 2016, Social Media, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Wingman Phichit Chulanont
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-19 22:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10649430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icandrawamoth/pseuds/icandrawamoth
Summary: Having song lyrics as a soulmark is incredibly frustrating.





	I Can Feel My Soul Singing as a Bird

**Author's Note:**

> For Leoji Week day five: "au: soulmate."

_The morning sun or the moonless night  
I see the god inside them and I feel alright_

Guang Hong sighs as his eyes track across the letters swirling down the back of his left arm for at least the millionth time in his life. For the first part of his life, he'd spent so much time trying to figure out what the words meant. They weren't a poem. They weren't a song.

Until one day they were. Last year, he'd searched for the phrase yet again, his eyes going shocked-wide when he actually hit a result. A song, a Christian R&B number recently released by a pair of artists called Matt Cabb and WISE. The number of times he's listened to it since are truly impressive. (Some might say obsessive.)

He knows every word, every breath and variance in pitch, by heart. Every time he happens to hear it in public or on tv or something (which admittedly isn't often), his heart leaps into his throat. He's pretty certain Matt Cabb isn't his soulmate, so he's not quite sure what this means.

Maybe his soulmate is a cover artist? Guang Hong can only find a few covers online, and he doesn't feel connected to any of those people. Should he? He wonders. He can't help but feel like he'd know immediately when he's met his soulmate, whether he hears the words or not.

So he just lives his life, nothing really specific to go on in order to search out the person meant for him like some have. He keeps an ear out for the song, his attention everywhere, never knowing when that special person might come into his life.

When he and his coach decide to move him to the senior division of the Grand Prix for the 2016-2017 season, Guang Hong considers using the song. After all, what music could possibly mean more to him? He passes on the idea, though; it feels just a little _too_ personal.

And then everything changes. His phone rings, and name displayed is Phichit Chulanont, a Thai skater Guang Hong has known for a few years and kept in touch with.

“Hey, Phichit,” Guang Hong greets him. “What's up?”

Without preamble, the other boy announces: “Leo is skating to your music this season.”

“What?”

Guang Hong's first thought isn't even for his soulmark. He assumes Phichit means Leo has chosen the same music for his skating and that one of them will probably have to change.

But the Thai skater soon clarifies, “Still Alive! Leo is skating to Still Alive! Maybe he's the one!”

Guang Hong's eyes go round, and his mouth drops open. “Do you really-?” But no. Surely not? Really, it's just another instance of the song appearing that could be totally unrelated.

His cheeks go pink as he considers it, though. Guang Hong doesn't know Leo well. They've never met in competition or even spoken. Guang Hong follows him on social media and respects him as a fellow skater, thinks he's cute even, but his _soulmate?_

“Hello? Earth to Guang Hong?”

“Sorry! I'm here,” Guang Hong exclaims.

“Sooooo,” Phichit drawls.

“What do you want me to say?” Guang Hong says, blush deepening.

“Maybe that you're excited?” Phichit teases. “You might just meet your soulmate before me. I'm jealous.”

“Yeah...” Guang Hong's heart is racing. He's spend so much time trying to find a lead, he never considered what it would be like when it actually happened. 

* * *

After that, he takes to shamelessly stalking Leo across all his social media platforms. Frustratingly, as much as he posts, there's nothing about his actual programs, no word of his music, no video, nothing. Guang Hong has only Phichit's word to go on until they all meet at Skate America.

When he gets off the plane in New York, his heart is racing. Even aside from the possibility of meeting his soulmate, there's the fact that it's his first Senior Grand Prix event, and he's determined to make a splash. He's still not one hundred percent sold on the free program music his coach has picked for him, he's completely confident in his short program, and he's going to do his best in both.

He keeps his eye out for Leo as he checks into the hotel, but there's no sign of him. As he's walking away from the desk, Phichit pops up with a “Hey, Guang Hong! I used my skills to find out which room Leo is in. Let's go say hi.” He grabs Guang Hong's arm and starts to drag him toward the elevators.

“ _Noooo!_ ” Guang Hong protests, jerking back. He blushes, clutching the handle of his bag. “I can't do that.”

“ _Guang Hong_ ,” Phichit wheedles. “Come _on_. Where's your sense of adventure?”

“I'm saving it for the ice,” Guang Hong hedges. “I need to get some rest before tomorrow, okay?”

Phichit sighs dramatically. “Okay, but I'm not letting you leave this competition without talking to him, you got me?”

“Okay, okay,” Guang Hong says pacifyingly.

They go their seperate ways, and Guang Hong makes his way to his room, collapsing into bed as soon as he can, determined to be well-rested for the competition. Then he spends the rest of the night worrying about his skating, worrying about what will happen with Leo, and worrying that he's worrying too much. He doesn't even realize when he's fallen asleep.  


* * *

Leo is on the other side of the warm-up room, and Guang Hong can't stop staring at him. They'd shared a silent wave of greeting when Guang Hong came in, but they haven't spoken. Phichit is beside the Chinese skater, one eyebrow raised as he looks between them.

“This is ridiculous, you know that right?”

“My soulmark is the words of his song, not anything else that would be the first thing he said to me,” Guang Hong mutters. He wonders if he's messing with fate trying to arrange things like this, but he can't help himself. He's getting used to the idea of Leo possibly being his soulmate, and now he's worried he won't be, and then he'll be disappointed.

“Your choice,” Phichit sighs and continues stretching.

Phichit skates first and gets a decent score. Leo is second, and Guang Hong stands at the boards, hands clenched, heart racing.

Leo takes the ice, gets into position, and the music starts. Guang Hong is transported as he listens to the familiar notes and watches Leo glide across the ice. Everything about the performance is perfect, from his flawless jumps to his effortless choreography to his graceful spins. He seems truly in tune with the music in a way Guang Hong has rarely seen. By the end, he's breathless, captivated, the spell only broken when Leo reaches his final pose and the audience bursts into applause, Guang Hong along with them.

It's him. _Oh god,_ it's him. Guang Hong can feel it. Except...they still haven't spoken. He believes that Leo's song “speaking” to him might count, but what does he say in return? Will his words match Leo's own soulmark?

Guang Hong is trembling all over as he makes his way near the kiss and cry. He smiles when Leo's score is announced – first place, a decent distance above Phichit. He deserves it.

After a few minutes, the cameras and interviewers turn away as the next competitor takes the ice, and Guang Hong steels himself and steps in front of Leo as he approaches. “Um,” he says, and for an eternal second doesn't know how to continue before he finds himself blurting out, “the first lines of your song are my soulmark.”

Leo's eyes go wide. “Your soulmark?”

Guang Hong's heart constructs painfully. Does that mean they're a match? He can barely breathe. He nods, rolling up the sleeve of his costume and showing Leo his arm.

“ _Oh,_ ” the other skater breathes, his fingers tracing reverently across Guang Hong's skin. His face breaks into a beautiful smile as he pulls up his top a few inches, and there across his belly Guang Hong sees his own words: _um, the first lines of your song are my soulmark._ “I've spent my whole life wondering what song it would be,” Leo murmurs.

“It's a good song,” Guang Hong says, then blushes, because how foolish did that sound.

Leo grins. “It's my favorite. I'm glad I chose it. Guang Hong.”

Guang Hong pauses at the way he says his name, swallowing hard. “Yes?”

“My soulmate, Guang Hong Ji,” Leo says, taking his hand. “Amazing.”

Guang Hong blushes again. “Leo de la Iglesia. My soulmate,” he tries the words himself. “This is for real.”

“Yeah. Let me take you on a proper date when this is over?” Leo suggests.

“I would love that,” Guang Hong agrees.

“ _Woohoo, yeah, I knew it!_ ” The shout comes from behind them, and Guang Hong winces as he turns to see Phichit giving them an emphatic thumbs-up from a little ways away.

Leo laughs. “I see you know Phichit, too.”

“I sure do,” Guang Hong agrees with a chuckle of his own. “He's never gonna let us live this down.”


End file.
